Firstly, I would like to apologize for this being the first time I am getting around to recapping Sound Tiger games for you. I have been extremely busy at work, had a wedding last weekend that I was a groomsman in, an alumni hockey game at my College (that we, the alumni won mind you), computer issues and a partridge in a pear tree. That being said I have recovered and will give you input in a more timely fashion going forward.

The opening weekend for the Sound Tigers went substantially better than this past weekend from the stand point of how the games unfolded. The opening weekend saw the Sound Tigers drop their opener 5-2 at the hands of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and win the seconds game 4-3 in a shootout against the Norfolk Admirals. Anders Lee and Kirill Kabanov were the goal scorers against the Penguins while Riley Wetmore, Andrey Pedan and Joey Diamond were the goal scorers during regulation. Ryan Strome added two assists in that game. John Persson netted the the shootout winner for Bridgeport which gave the Sound Tigers their first win of the season.

After the two first games, the Sound Tigers assigned Kirill Kabanov to their ECHL affiliate, the Stockton Thunder. Reports said that his assignment was due to the fact he would get more minutes with the Thunder to progress a bit further, however it was also rumored that he was late for a team meeting during the week and it was a disciplinary demotion. Whatever the case, Kabanov seems to be one more mistake away from being removed from the organization entirely.

This past weekend was one to forget for the Sound Tigers. They dropped both games, 3-0 to the Manchester Monarchs and 3-1 to the Springfield Flacons. Johan Sundstrom was the lone goal scorer for Bridgeport as he notched his first of the season against the Falcons. In the game against Springfield, Ken Reiter made his first start of the season but unfortunately didn't get much support from his teammates and starts his season off with a loss.

To date, the season has not started the way the Sound Tigers would have liked but there are positives to be taken from the games so far. Both Anders Lee and Ryan Strome are contributing on the score sheet while gaining valuable professional experience. Anders Nilsson is getting games in and although he only has a 1-2 record so far, has not played poorly. Nilsson staying consistent is key should one of the two goaltenders on Long Island get injured or see a decline in their performance.

(flickr/Dougtone)

There is a lot to work on for this young group of Isles prospects, but more important than winning in the AHL at this time is the experience that all of these players are getting. When we look at the bigger picture their development is crucial for the New York Islanders' future.